CONNECTICUT MEN
of the 95th - Victory - Division
July - 1945 THE 95th IN ACTION
The division's first offensive action was at Metz on November 8, 1944. The 2nd and 3rd battalions, 377th Infantry Regi­ment,
attacking at night, wiped out the enemy pocket east of Maizeres to the Moselle. The going was rough. It was trial by fire. Men who proved themselves that night did a lot of the ball- carrying on the power drive down to Metz the following week.
Capture of Metz was a rich achieve­ment.
The city had weathered many assaults. The 95th Division smacked up against the bristling forts ringing the city. Still, the ring was broken, and this is the way it was accomplished.
The 378th Infantry Regiment got off to a flying start with one of the most daringly conceived and brilliantly exe­cuted
trick plays of the entire offensive. Col. Samuel L. Metcalfe, regimental com­mander,
of Pearsall, Texas, dreamed it up.
Fronting the 378th zone was a series of fortifications including Fort Amanvillers, the three Canrobert forts and Fort de Feve. East of this line spread the extensive Lorraine fortifications. Taking such an area by an anticipated head- on drive would have been suicide. Col. Metcalfe's plan was to sweep around the northern tip of the fortifications and approach from the rear, leaving behind a small task force to deceive the enemy into thinking the entire regiment still fronted the forts.
The job of providing the phony front was assigned to Task Force St. Jacques, composed of three platoons, one antitank platoon, a squad from an Intelligence and Reconnaissance platoon, cooks, clerks, and
other regimental headquarters and service company personnel. This jumbled force was assigned to cover an eight and a half mile front. They did a bang- up job, with the aid of loud- speakers and other deceptive means.
The hidden ball play worked like a charm. The regiment jumped off at 0800 and within three hours had captured the town of Feves. Two hours later it swept on to take Somecourt. The surge con­tinued
and Saulny, Vigneulles, Plesnois and Norroy le Beneur tumbled before the avalanche.
In the first five hours of the third day's operation the regiment had captured and occupied three Canrobert Forts. A few other forts were found to be deserted.
By this time the 378th's 3rd battalion had forced its way to the west bank of the Moselle. One platoon of Company K was crossing a bridge into Metz when Germans touched off demolition charges. Casual­ties
were heavy.
Next day the battalion crossed to the city in boats operated by Company B, 320th Engineers, and joined the 377th Infantry Regiment in ferreting out the snipers. The third arm of the main effort was powered by the 379th Infantry Regi- ment, which also had drawn a battering- ram assignment against the forts flanking the road to Metz. At the very outset of the division jump- off, the 379th ran into stiff and bitter enemy resistance. The 1st and 3rd Battalions chipped away at one of the greatest and most impregnable of all Metz forts — Jeanne d'Arc, guardian of the western approach.
2
Chipping was the word for it. The heav­iest
demolition charges produced a lot of concrete dust and not much else. With various forts in the Jeanne d'Arc system linked by tunnels, the Germans employed a fire and run defense, and the 379th found it impossible to block all the tunnels.
By November 21, however, the fall of Metz was something to write home about. The 95th Reconnaissance Troop had made contact with elements of the 5th Infantry Division, which had driven up from the south to complete the squeeze play on the fortress city.
Capture of Metz was but one of the highlights in the 95th's combat history, however.
The 95th jumped off for the Saar on November 25, 1944. The German border
was 25 miles to the east, and many in the outfit were looking forward to the day when it could write " inside Germany" on letters home. The border into Germany was crossed on November 28. By the first part of December the division was in the Saarland.
Their first major prize on Nazi soil was the exposed city of Saarlautern which lies like a goldfish bowl between the high ridges on either side of the Saar. The entire division was brought up on line and a series of lightning blows ensued. Not only was this city captured, but in a sur ¬ prise night attack the only bridge across the Saar still intact was taken. So swift and well planned was this project that not one man was lost. Though the enemy had mined the bridge well the 379th Task Force bayonetted the sentries on duty before the alarm could be sounded. This
3
feat caused Under Secretary of War Pat­terson
to write a special commendation for the " Iron Men of Metz." In continual combat for over a month, the Victory Division's valor under fire earned its men the title of " Bravest of the Brave" from Joseph Driscoll of the New York Herald Tribune.
Metz was tough, but the work now was even more rugged. This was the thickest part of the Siegfried Line. There were a myriad of pillboxes and fortified houses. Progress became measured in square blocks for the batallion objective. In Fraulautern, just over the highly valued bridge, the 377th's 1st Battalion took part in a " dance of death" when Americans and Krauts blazed away at each other over a hotel ballroom floor. Then came the
Bulge. Towards the end of December the Saar entered the holding phase with only the 95th and 94th left to keep Third Army gains. Brilliant night combat, anticipating Nazi dawn attacks, was the key to their success.
In January, after two months of suc­cessive
combat action, even greater efforts were expended by rotating regiments on line in the Saar to reinforce the American 7th Army at St. Avoid. It was an exhaust­ing
but highly successful activity.
In January the 95th was assigned to Lt. Gen. Simpson's Ninth Army. Its first task was to join with British troops fight­ing
in the flooded area below Nijmegen. This action was considered by the troops to be a rest, since the CG was able to
4
rotate his regiments on the line. In Feb­ruary
the 9- V's were sent into Belgium for a rest. It wasn't long afterwards that they were called upon to join in the smashing drive on the Rhine. The lead regiment, the 379th, drove so fast that when the Rhine was reached the inhabitants of the town of Rhinehausen were caught quite unprepared. Telephone lines were intact so that enterprising Joes attempted to phone Hitler in Berlin. Factories were in operation, and the workers were dazed to find American troops taking over. The doughs had intended to settle down here for a luxurious rest when orders came for
them to be relieved. It was not a rest; the division was sent back to the Erft Canal to practice river crossings in expec­tation
of future events.
After the Ninth Army crossed the Rhine the 95th was called upon to go into the Harz Mountains and clean out all pockets of resistance. This was done expeditiously. Shortly before the termination of hostilities the Victory Division was chosen by Gen. Simpson to occupy and police the terri­tories
that the Ninth Army had so speedily over- run. To the men of the 95th this was a welcome chance for well earned rest.
PICTURES OF THE 95th
Home Again — The 377th Infantry crossed on the SS Monticello and disem­barked
at Staten Island, New York, on June 26th. The photograph reproduced on the cover was taken as the ship was headed for the docks.
Landing at Boston — The 378th In­fantry,
Division Artillery and Head­quarters
Personnel made the crossing on the SS Mariposa ( picture on Page 3), and docked at Boston after a welcome home greeting by Port authorities.
" Lost" Battalion— Con­necticut
men of the Second Battalion, 379th Infantry
( Page 4). The photograph was taken at Ft. Devens on July 3rd. The Battalion's experience in front of Ft. Jeanne d'Arc at Metz, is described by Pfc. Henry R. Heitmann of Hartford on Page 10 of this booklet.
Time Out at Devens — The pictures on pages 8 and 9 show Connecticut men gathered in the bright July sun in one of those long waits between processing for­mations.
The upper picture shows the men of the 378th Infantry Regiment. In the lower picture are men of the 379th Infantry Regi­ment.
5
95th DIVISION FACTS
Nicknames: " Victory", and " O. K." Division.
Shoulder Patch: Oval shaped, red numeral 9 and white Roman number V; and V also standing for Victory; solid blue background.
History: Organized for World War I in September, 1918, at Camp Sherman, Ohio; demobilized in December of 1918. Activation date: July, 1942.
Army Ground Forces Training: Basic at Camp Swift, Texas, and upon com­pletion
to Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio; to Louisiana in June, 1943, for maneuvers and stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana, before shipping to California Desert Training Center; after four months, transferred to Indian town Gap, Pennsylvania, for six more months; then went into moun­tain
training in West Virginia maneuver area; later to Boston for training while awaiting embarkation.
Departure Date: Left the United States in July of 1944 for European Theater of Operations.
Overseas Training: Further training in England; first duty on the continent on " Red Ball" highway, by part of the division.
Commendations, Unit Citations:
378th Infantry Regiment given Presi­dential
Citation for action of November 10- 14, 1944; division described by Under- Secretary of War Patterson as performing with distinction in taking intact the Saarlautern bridge; unit described as " bravest of the brave" by Joe Driscoll in the New York Herald Tribune.
Commanding General: Major General H. L. Twaddle, an Ohioan, from April 25, 1942, until present.
Component Units as of Time of De­parture
Overseas: 377th, 378th and 379th Inf. Regiments; 360th medium and 358th, 359th and 920th ( L) FA Bn.
Served Overseas as Part of: Third Army, Oct. 1944; Ninth Army, approxi­mately
February of 1945.
Combat Highlights: Participated in capture of Metz; captured important communications center of Boulais; led Third Army into Saar, attacking thick­est
portion of Siegfried line, at Saar­lautern.
NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This little souvenir of the 95th Divi­sion's
redeployment furloughs was pre­pared
by the Office of the Governor of the State of Connecticut. It is believed that it will make a welcome addition to the sou­venirs
and memorabilia of the men who participated. A limited supply of copies are available for distribution on request from members of the Division from Con­necticut.
They may be secured by writing direct to the Office of the Governor, State Capitol Building, Hartford, Conn. In the preparation of this leaflet, Public Relations Officers at the Ports of Debarka­tion
and reception centers cooperated.
The account of the Division's part in the defeat of the German Army was pre­pared
by the Office of Technical Informa­tion
of the Army Ground Forces. The group pictures taken at Fort Devens are Signal Corps photographs.
6
THE 95th ON FURLOUGH
The 95th ( Victory) Infantry Division, third of the combat units enroute from the European Theater of Operations to the Pacific, arrived in the United States for redeployment furloughs in late June and early July, 1945.
Preceded by a small advance detach­ment,
the three major contingents of the Division crossed the Atlantic in the SS Mariposa, the SS Blatchford, and the Monticello.
The Mariposa docked at Boston, on June 29, with 6,213 men aboard including the 378th Infantry, the 358th, 359th, 360th, and 920th Field Artillery Bat­talions,
and headquarters and special troops of the division. The staging center at Camp Myles Standish, near Taunton, Massachusetts, was the next stop, and the New England men of the Division arrived at Fort Devens, on the following day.
The Blatchford docked at Boston Sun­day
morning, July 1, with 3,236 men in­cluding
the 379th Infantry Regiment, and was staged at Myles Standish before the
238 New Englanders proceeded to Devens.
The Monticello docked at Staten Island, N. Y., on June 26 with the 377th In­fantry.
The regiment entrained in Jersey for the staging center at Camp Kilmer, near New Brunswick, N. J.
The Mariposa and Blatchford were given the Boston Port welcome, with a flag bedecked tug going down the harbor to meet them.
High spots were the home coming meal, steak, ice cream and fresh milk, and the first opportunities to phone the folks at home. Then the long and occasionally tedious waiting and processing — medi­cals,
new clothes, orientation, pay rolls, and finally two to three days after de­barking,
furlough orders, and the last long miles from Devens to home.
At the conclusion of the furlough periods the division will be reassembled at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for retraining and eventual embarkation from a west coast port for the Pacific Theater of Operations.
95th DIVISION STORIES
It has been the experience of veterans of all wars that time brings a blurring of detail, that memories are less exact after events, and that first hand reporting serves best to get down in black and white just what happened.
Here are stories by the men of the Vic­tory
Division, told at Fort Devens, either for newspaper use or for this leaflet.
Jordan, Frank A., Pfc, Hdq. Co., 2nd Bn., 379th Infantry, New Haven. Scout in Intelligence Section. " I was green when we moved up through the lines in front of Fort Jeanne d'Arc, one of the defense points that ringed Metz. It was a murky night and you couldn't see a thing. By the time we got into a concrete bunker that had been captured
7
8
9
with heavy casualties, I got to singing ' My Buddy'. It didn't go very well with the men in the bunker, many of whose buddies had been killed or wounded dur­ing
the attack. It was the week in the line before the attack on the fort's bunkers that I will remember longest of those we spent at the front in Europe."
Zuraw, Walter J., Pfc, Co. L, 379th Infantry, Seymour.
" One thing I'll never forget is when the Germans blew up the Adolph Hitler bridge at Verdingen, across the Rhine. We'd been in there for four days and nights with no sleep. I was on guard that night. They had pinned us down near the bridge, which was about fifty yards ahead of our position, and stuff from German bazookas was coming over regularly. All at once there was a terrific explosion and the bridge crumpled up and dropped into the river. Was I relieved, that we didn't have to try crossing it. The Ger­mans
had the high ground and would have mowed us down if we had tried.
" I joined the outfit on Thanksgiving Day before Saarlautern, where we at­tacked
into the Siegfried Line concrete bunkers. The Germans had camouflaged the bunkers, which were made of concrete 12 feet thick by building the shells of houses over them. Going in there was a lot of stuff from snipers and some of the first shots got one of my best friends."
Schlitter, Earl H., Pfc, Co. C, New Haven. A Gunner in a mortar crew. " We've been across about a year, but if you want to know my hardest day in the army, it was Jan. 18, 1943, my first day in the army, right here at Devens."
Auckland, Arthur R., Pfc, Co. C, 379th Infantry, Plainville. " The hottest spot I was in was near
Saarlautern. We were taking 13 German prisoners back across an open field. Every­thing
was quiet and then all hell broke loose, with mortar shells falling thick and fast all around us. I jumped into a fox hole, and it was a good spot even if there was three feet of water in it. The prisoners flopped on the road, but none of them made a break. When it slowed up a little I took off in the lead and we all got across the open space safely."
Jones, David J., Hdq. Co., 379th In­fantry,
Shelton.
" I can't remember anything that was too tough to take, but there was many a night I would rather have stayed in the blankets. Especially up around Frau ¬ lautern, across the river from Saar­lautern,
where the Germans had the high ground and gave us the works, screaming meemies and everything."
Heitmann, Henry R., Pfc, Rifleman, Co. F, 379th Infantry, Hartford. " The most miserable six days I ever spent were stranded with what was left — about 150 out of 800 men — of the 2nd Battalion in front of Fort Jeanne d'Arc at Metz. We were cut off from our supply lines. What we got to eat was parachuted from the planes. One bar of chocolate for every two men and to last a whole day. We made coffee out of melted snow. There were many wounded with us and some dead. The thing that was really hard was that we couldn't send out our wounded."
Miller, William H., Pvt., Co. B, 379th
Infantry, Bridgeport.
" It was in that attack, up across the tracks toward the bunkers at Saarlautern where they got most of us. We moved up across a wide open space swept by ma­chine
gun and small arms fire. I reached the place about twenty feet from the
10
Germans when I got hit with a machine gun slug in the thigh. It knocked me flat and I lay there more than 32 hours in the cold rain. Our support couldn't get up and we were isolated, but the first- aid men took care of it and I didn't seem to feel any pain after the first shock. I did a lot of praying lying there watching the Heinies twenty feet away.
" There were seven of us hit and we lay there cut off from our lines. That night the Germans picked up four of them and I never heard of them again. The next night under the cover of darkness our stretcher bearers got to me and I went back by stretcher, jeep and ambulance for a four months stay in the hospital."
Ek, Edward H., Sgt., Co. A, 379th In­fantry,
Branford.
" When I was transferred after three years in the army to the 95th, I joined them in April just after the Battle of the Ruhr Pocket so about all I saw with this outfit was guard duty."
Tolla, Angelo M., Pfc, Bazookaman, Co. A, 379th Infantry, Stamford. " The closest fighting I did was in clean­ing
out the Town of Krefeld in the Ruhr. We got into the edge of the town after the artillery worked over it and called in some tanks to help us out. We worked from house to house through cellars and back yards keeping away from the streets which the Germans had covered. When we struck a blank wall and couldn't get through, we would get back and give it a couple of shots from the bazooka. That would open up a hole in any wall for us.
" In three hours we took 150 prisoners but it would have taken much longer if the Germans had not been pretty well softened up by that time."
Klick, Stanley J., Pfc; Jeep Driver,
Hdq. Co., 1st Battalion, 379th In­fantry,
Jewett City.
" One of our toughest spots was when we were taking a 57mm tank gun up with a weasel. The trucks couldn't make it. They had us zeroed in with mortars and 88 mms and shells were landing all around. It took us at least fifteen minutes to cross this river on a bridge and the bridge was knocked out right afterwards."
Mantlec, Andrew J., Pfc, Jeep Driver, Hdq. Co., 1st Battalion, 379th In­fantry,
South Norwalk. " I went out on a line with our communi­cations
Sergeant after it had been cut by enemy artillery fire. We were on the hill without any cover when the 88' s started dropping around us and we just had to keep on working with the shrapnel whizzing."
Farnham, Woodrow, Pfc, Rifleman, Co.
E, 379th Infantry, Rockville.
" The one thing I want to forget is the first five minutes in battle just outside of Fellsberg, in the Saar Basin. You can lay it on the line, we got hit with every 88 mm in the Saarlautern area and every one of them was right on the button and we had quite a few casualties there. Nothing in all the rest was as bad as that first five minutes.
Haeschak, Edward N., Pfc, Rifleman, Co. C, 379th Infantry, Bridgeport. " I want to forget all about Europe but I do remember one time in the Battle of the Ruhr Pocket when our own planes by mistake strafed us and we had several men wounded in our own unit."
Horoat, John J., Sgt., Message Center Chief, Hdq. Co., 2nd Battalion, 379th Infantry, Fairfield.
" It was tense in our message center in
11
that first real battle in front of Metz. Like most everyone I was scared and I remem­ber
well how shocked I was when early re­ports
came in telling of the first casualties in our outfit."
Wiegman, Paul W., Pfc, Co. C, 379th
Infantry, Springdale.
" The time that sticks in my mind is the crossing of the Saar River which we made under heavy enemy fire. We went across in assault boats and there were 12 or 15 men in each boat all paddling like hell. There sure was a lot of 88 mm in the air. When I hit the other side, when I dug in for the night, I thanked God for getting us across."
Falasca, Frank D,, Pfc, First Aid Man, Medical Detachment, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry, South Norwalk. " They gave me the Bronze Star for ad­ministering
first aid under fire on an attack on a fortified mill at Saarlautern. I car­ried
out a wounded man, victim of a booby trap, on my shoulders, through the open for about fifty yards with plenty of mortar and small arms fire around."
Kosturko, Lawrence G., Pfc, Rifleman, Co. C, 379th Infantry, Bridgeport. " I was surprised how quickly you could
reach the front and get the sniper fire.
That first day I was running across a road
and one of our men was killed only fifty
feet away from me. My knees were knock­ing
plenty."
Ladyko, Walter E., Pfc, Co. G, 379th
Infantry, Bridgeport.
" In March at Oberkasser, on the Rhine, we were on outpost duty about fifty yards from the River when German planes came over and strafed us. I dove for a shell- hole and found a sergeant ahead of me. You just keep praying and sweat it out."
Slonski, William B., Pfc, Co. F, 379th
Infantry, Wallingford.
" It was on Friday, the 13th of April we were riding over a hill on some tanks towards Kremberg when we spotted a handful of Krauts awaiting to surrender in front of a farm. After taking them in we prowled around and found a battery of 88' s, a battery of 20 mm ack- ack and nine more Germans walked out of the woods to surrender. One of them who spoke good English told us that the German gun crews were in a railroad tunnel through a hill nearby. They made a stand there and we got 60 prisoners more. Then we gave the farm another going over and found hundreds of rifles and hand grenades, dozens of machine guns, a hundred bazookas, and enough TNT to blow up almost anything. It was Friday, the 13th, for the Germans all right but we got 126 prisoners without firing a shot.
THE CONNECTICUT MEN
The following named officers and men of the 95th ( Victory) Infantry Division went on redeployment furloughs from the Fort Devens, Massachusetts Reception Center in the last week of June, 1945. These names are taken from ships' rosters and furlough orders:
ADAMS, HAROLD S. Pfc. RFD 1, Hampton
ADAMS, WILLIAM H. Pfc. 650 Newhall St., Hamden
ADLEY, RICHARD J. T/ 5 194 Overland Ave., Bridgeport
12
ALBYCHT, JOSEPH Pfc. Arch St., Collinsville
ANDERSON, WESLEY R. Pvt. South St., Bantam
ARCAND, WALTER A. Pfc. 80 Wellington St., Hartford
ASH, NORMAN JR. Pfc. 600 Woodbridge St., Manchester
AUKLAND, ARTHUR R. JR. Pfc. 70 Bohemia St., Plainville
AVERY, IRVING E. Pfc. 9 Purnell PL, Manchester
BADGER, CARLTON M. Pfc. 235 Maple Ave., Greenwich
BANAS, MICHAEL J. Pfc. 4 Union St., Hartford
BARTOS, FRANCIS H. Pvt. 33 Worthington Ridge, Berlin
BAYLEY, THOMAS A. Pfc. 423 Main St., Portland
BEAUREGARD, LIONEL J. Pfc. 29 So. Walnut St., Wauregan
BENFANTI, JOSEPH F. T/ 4 218 Washington Ave., Bridgeport
BLASCHIKE, ALBERT J. Pfc. 33 Wall St., Middletown
BODNAR, JOSEPH L. T/ 5 27 Neptune Ave., South Norwalk
BOLIEAU, FRED R. Pfc. 100 Willington Ave., Stafford Springs
BOOKER, LORA A. Pfc. Winnicut Rd., North Hampton
BRAHENEY, THOMAS J. Pfc. 66 Foster St., Meriden
BUNN, DONALD I. Pvt. Mineroad, Bristol
BURNS, JOHN J. Pfc. 2405 Main St., Bridgeport
BUSCH, FRANK J. Pfc. Box 179, Versailles
BUTKUS, ALBERT F. Pfc. Millville Dist., Naugatuck
CALLAHAN, JOHN F. Cpl. 50 Hinckley Ave., Stamford
CARPENTER, ALFRED H. T/ 5 25 Washington St., Vernon
CARPENTIER, OLIVIER A. Pfc. 260 Main St., Waterbury
CASPER, ROBERT J. Pfc. 13 Hathkiss St., Naugatuck
CAVIOLA, JOHN P. Pfc. 139 Ely Ave., South Norwalk
CAZZETTA, VINCENT C. Pfc. 101 Hatch St., New Britain
CHALECKI, BERNARD W. Pfc. 50 Church St., Plantsville
CHISNALL, DAVID L. Pfc. 1125 Forest Rd., New Haven
CIRISHIOLI, GEORGIO 1st Lt. 112 Liberty St., Ansonia
CLARK, THEODORE S. Pfc. 44 Ives Ave., Meriden
COFFIN, ROBERT W. Pfc. 132 Flax Hill Rd., South Norwalk
COHEN, PHILIP Pfc. 170 Fairfield Ave., Stamford
CORCORAN, EDMUND J. Pfc. 18 Stillwold Rd., Wethersfield
CRANZ, FERDINAND E. T/ Sgt. 19 Nameaug Ave., New London
CROCAMO, JOSEPH C. Pfc. 6 Summit St., Derby
DAVIS, RALPH Pfc. Nashville Rd. Ext., Bethel
DEBLOIS, ALEXANDER J. Pfc. 15 Mill St., Willimantic
DE KAY, ECKFORD J. T/ 5 Hoyt St., Darien
DE LUCIA, RAYMOND H. Capt. 75 Osborn Ave., New Haven
DE MARS, CARL F. T/ 4 17 Margery St, Bristol
DESCHENE, HENRY J. Sgt. 98 Summit St., Willimantic
DESOCIO, MICHAEL Pvt. 66 Tracy Ave.., Waterbury
DINIGLIO, LOUIS Pfc. 127 Lexington Ave., South Norwalk
DONAHUE, JAMES P. Sgt. 29 Maple Ave., Waterbury
13
DUNN, RICHARD E. Pfc. 325 So. Pine Creek Rd., Fairfield
DUNNE, DOMINICK J. Pvt. 1820 Albany Ave., West Hartford
EK, ARTHUR H. Sgt. 42 Hopson Ave., Branford
ESPOSITO, VINCENT A. Sgt. 215 Peck Ave., West Haven
EVANS, RONALD H. T/ 5 East Granby
FALASCO, FRANK D. Pfc. Sound View Ave., South Norwalk
FARNHAM, WOODROW Pfc. Mile Hill Rd., Rockville
FARRELL, EUGENE F, Pfc. 47 Seavier Ave., West Haven
FAVA, COLESTINO D. Pfc. 3018 Dixwell Ave., Hamden
FAZZINA, PAUL E. T/ 5 Wanx Spring St., Plantsville
FENN, RICHARD H. Pfc. 104 Cottage St., Meriden
FERGUSON, FRANK J. JR. Pfc. 105 West St., Danbury
FERLA, SALVATORE Pfc. 46 No. Spring, Ansonia
FEUERBACKER, FRED J. Pfc. 103 Prince St., Bridgeport
FISHER, HENRY JR. Lt. Col. 404 Yale Ave., New Haven
FITTIG, WALTER Pfc. 265 Old Town Rd., Bridgeport
FORNITO, LOUIS J. Pfc. 57 America St., Waterbury
FOWLER, EUGENE S. Pfc. RFD 2, North Stonington
FOWLER, WILLIAM H. Pfc. RFD 3, Maple Knoll Farms, Ellington
GAGNON, WILBERT R. Pfc. 1930 Broad St., Hartford
GARVEY, JOSEPH P. S/ Sgt. 381 Broad St., New London
GLEY, HAROLD R. Pfc. 33 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic
GORI, JOSEPH Pfc. 196 Jones Ave., Bridgeport
GREGA, METHOD P. T/ 4 137 Light St., Stratford
GRONAU, HEINZ O. S/ Sgt. 2397 East Main St., Bridgeport
GUERRERA, ROCCO Pfc. 15 Ennery St., Waterbury
GUGLIOTTI, LOUIS Pfc. 89 Byinside Ave., Waterbury
HALL, LESLIE L. Pfc. Sterling
HANSON, NORMAN P. Pfc. 36 Coe Ave., Portland
HARRINGTON, FRANCIS P. Pfc. 11 Hemlock St., Waterbury
HARVEY, NORMAN E. Pfc. 316 Hills St., East Hartford
HAYDEN, FRANCIS J. Pfc. 20 Union St., Thompsonville
HEFFERN, HAROLD J. Pfc. 86 Caroline St., Bridgeport
HEITMAN, HENRY R. Pfc. 127 Adelaide St., Hartford
HEWES, PETER B. T/ 5 High St., Farmington
HORVAT, JOHN J. Sgt. 70 Redfield Rd., Fairfield
HRESCHAK, EDWARD M. Pfc. 1989 E. Main St., Bridgeport
HUNTER, KENNETH S/ Sgt. Middletown
HUNZIKER, ROBERT N. Pfc. 39 Stiles St., Stratford
HYDE, ALFRED F. Pfc. 121 Grandview Ter., Hartford
JEROME, ROBERT E., JR. Pvt. 1922 Main St., Hartford
JOHNSON, BYRON T. 1st Lt. 9 Wooster Heights, Danbury
JOHNSON, ERIC G. T/ 5 RFD 3, Weston Rd., Georgetown
JOHNSON, RICHARD R. T/ 5 37 Colonial St., Hartford
JONES, DAVID W. Pfc. 74 Hill St., Shelton
JORDAN, FRANK Pfc. 121 Maple St., New Haven
14
JORDAN, JOHN F. Pfc. 389 High Ridge Dr., Bridgeport
KALKOWSKI, EDWARD O. Pfc. 184 Eddy Glover Blvd., New Britain
KATKAVECK, GEORGE J. Pfc. 74 Starkweather St., Manchester
KILBRIDE, SIDNEY V. 1st Lt. 13 Thomas Ave., Norwalk
KING, ARTHUR A. Pfc. 14 Elm St., Seymour
KLICK, STANLEY J. Pfc. Russell St., Jewett City
KLIMASZEWSKI, JOHN Pfc. 3 George St., Ansonia
KOSTURKO, LAWRENCE G. Pfc. 116 Brandley St., Bridgeport
KOZCAK, GEORGE D. Capt. 8 Farnham Ave., Torrington
KRISTON, JOHN Pfc. 49 Columbia Court, Bridgeport
KULICK, PAUL G. Pfc. 146 Pine St., East Port Chester
KUZMA, STANLEY J. Pfc. 13 Division St., Ansonia
LABORE, ANTHONY C. Pfc. Bldg. 43, Apt. 312, Y. M. Village,
Bridgeport
LADYKO, WALTER E. Pfc. 433 Kossuth St., Bridgeport
LAPORTE, GEORGE A. Pfc. 300 Brown St., Hartford
LAWLOR, THOMAS J., JR. Pfc. New Preston
LEE, NICKOLAS Pfc. 61 Myrtle Ave., Bridgeport
LESNIAK, LEO J. Cpl. 27 High St., Willimantic
LITKE, WALTER A. Pfc. Box 23, Danielson
LIVINGSTON, CHARLES Y. Pfc. 106 Groves St., Meriden
LOCKER, EDWARD T. Pfc. 8 Kennedy Ave., Killingly
LOGAN, DONALD T. Pfc. 60 Tomlinson Ave., Plainville
MAC DONALD, THOMAS JR. Sgt. 49 Laurel St., Hartford
MAGERA, STEPHEN Pfc. 64 Longfellow Ave., Bridgeport
MANTLIK, ANDREW J. Pfc. Auburn St., So. Norwalk
MC DONOUGH, THOMAS G. Pfc. 36 Foster St., Danbury
MERRILL, CLIFFORD T. JR. Pfc. 17 Highland Ave., Thompsonville
MIKOLAJCZYK, EDW. J. T/ 4 Mountain Rd., Suffield
MILLER, HERMAN L. Pvt. 105 French St., Bridgeport
MILLER, WILLIAM H. Pvt. 2066 Main St., Bridgeport
MONTAGNA, JOHN C. Pfc. 3 Brown St., New Haven
MOORE, ADOLPH Pfc. 225 Greenfield St., Hartford
MORAN, LAWRENCE J. Cpl. 46 Lincoln St., Putnam
MULDOON, JOHN C. * Pfc. 799 Lipton St., Stamford
NISTO, ANTONIO F. Pfc. 50 Daisy St., New Haven
NUNN, DUFFEY L. Pvt. 34 Seaview Ave., West Haven
OBUCHOWSKI, ALPHONSE 1st Lt. 70 Wells St., Manchester
O'DONNELL, WILLIAM Pvt. 19 Beach Ave., Milford
OTTO, WILBUR W. Pfc. 7 Spruce St., Rockville
PAGERINO, FRANK J. Pfc. 2164 Main St., Bridgeport
PAGLIARO, FRANK A. Pfc. 82 Oak St., Bridgeport
PARKER, CLIFFORD W. Pfc. Sterling
PASCARELLA, ALFONSO J. Cpl. 1995 Main St., Bridgeport
PASSERINO, RAYMOND M. Pfc. 119 Williams St., Wallingford
PATRIDGE, CHARLES J. JR. Pfc. Plain Hill, RFD 8, Norwich Town
15
PEARSON, CRAIG M. Pfc. 78 East Ridge Rd., Middletown
PEDENSKI, FELIX J. Pfc. 240 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton
PINCHIN, GEORGE H. Pfc. 118 Oxford PL, Southport
POPYLISEN, EDWARD F. Sgt. 263 Quinnipiac Ave., New Haven
PUDNEY, WILLIAM F. Pfc. 646 Stafford Ave., Bristol
QUINN, JOHN J. Pfc. 18 Meadow St., Stamford
QURNACK, JOHN T/ 5 RFD 1, Willimantic
RAPPORT, MARTIN B. Sgt. 375 Sigourney St., Hartford
RENN, ERVIN G. Sgt. 110 Front St., Middletown
RIEDER, ROBERT W. Pfc. 49 Riverside Dr., Manchester
ROMANO, JOSEPH Pfc. 193 North Ave., Bridgeport
RYAN, WM. J. Pfc. 7 King St., Hartford
SALVATORE, ANTHONY J. Pfc. 53 Greenwich Ave., Stamford
SAMARAJCZYK, FELIX Q. Pfc. 148 Burroughs St., Bridgeport
SANFORD, FREDERICK F. T/ 5 Box 323, Macktown Road., Windsor
SCHLEIN, ROBERT R. Pfc. 14 Sheldon Terrace, New Haven
SCHLITTER, EARL H. Pfc. 410 Grand Ave., New Haven
SHERMAN, EDWARD M. Pfc. 1737 Noble Ave., Bridgeport
SLONSKI, WM. B. Pfc 27 Geneva Ave., Wallingford
SONNTAG, WILLIAM W. Pfc. Huckleberry Rd., New Canaan
STANTON, PAUL R. Pfc. 57 Fremont St., Putnam
STARK, EVERETT L. 1st Lt. RFD 1, Putnam
SUSCO, ANTHONY J. Sgt. 42 Crown St., Bristol
SZABO, ALEX Pfc. 579 Oldfield Rd., Fairfield
TAFT, ROBERT E. Pfc. 187 Zion St., Hartford
THORNTON, FRED A., JR. T/ 5 Abington
TOLLA, ANGELO M. Pfc. 36 Greenwood Hill, Stamford
TOMALA, JOHN J. Pfc. 17 Center St., Torrington
TOOMEY, JOHN F. Pfc. 262 Palm St., Hartford
VALENTE, JOSEPH N. Pfc. 112 Preston St., Hartford
VALL, OSWALD P. Pfc. 54 Stone St., Stamford
VAVREK, ANDREW W. Pfc. Kellen Ave., South Norwalk
VELASCO, LOUIS Cpl. 6 Kelley Ave., Wetherfield
VINCENT, ROGER E. Pfc. 9 Broad St., Stonington
WARD, GEORGE A. Pfc. 130 Chapman St., Willimantic
WARNER, GEORGE A. Pfc. 262 Market St., Hartford
WASIELEWSKI, ZIGMUND W. Pfc. 247 Washington St., New Britain
WAUPOTIC, VALENTINE L. Pfc. 68 Beaver St., Danbury
WELLS, FREDERICK J. Pfc. 48 Wordin Ave., Bridgeport
WIEGMAN, PAUL W. JR. Pfc. 174 Knickerbocker Ave., Springdale
WILSON, JACK R. Pfc. Central Fire Hdqtrs., Greenwich
WOOD, ROLAND A. Pfc. 23 Yellow Row, Willimantic
YUROKOWSKI, STANLEY J. Pfc. 11 Main St., Glasgow
ZALEWSKY, JOSEPH W. Pfc. 35 Division St., Stamford
ZIEROTH, ALFRED P. Pfc. Durham Center
ZMISTOWSKI, MATCHIE J. 1st Lt. Bartram Inn, Sharon
ZURAW, WALTER J. Pfc. 14 Broad St., Seymour

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

Digital image Connecticut State Library. All rights reserved. Images may be used for personal research or non-profit educational uses without prior permission. For permission to publish or exhibit, see Reproduction and Publication of State Library Collections, http://ctstatelibrary.org/reproduction-publication/

CONNECTICUT MEN
of the 95th - Victory - Division
July - 1945 THE 95th IN ACTION
The division's first offensive action was at Metz on November 8, 1944. The 2nd and 3rd battalions, 377th Infantry Regi­ment,
attacking at night, wiped out the enemy pocket east of Maizeres to the Moselle. The going was rough. It was trial by fire. Men who proved themselves that night did a lot of the ball- carrying on the power drive down to Metz the following week.
Capture of Metz was a rich achieve­ment.
The city had weathered many assaults. The 95th Division smacked up against the bristling forts ringing the city. Still, the ring was broken, and this is the way it was accomplished.
The 378th Infantry Regiment got off to a flying start with one of the most daringly conceived and brilliantly exe­cuted
trick plays of the entire offensive. Col. Samuel L. Metcalfe, regimental com­mander,
of Pearsall, Texas, dreamed it up.
Fronting the 378th zone was a series of fortifications including Fort Amanvillers, the three Canrobert forts and Fort de Feve. East of this line spread the extensive Lorraine fortifications. Taking such an area by an anticipated head- on drive would have been suicide. Col. Metcalfe's plan was to sweep around the northern tip of the fortifications and approach from the rear, leaving behind a small task force to deceive the enemy into thinking the entire regiment still fronted the forts.
The job of providing the phony front was assigned to Task Force St. Jacques, composed of three platoons, one antitank platoon, a squad from an Intelligence and Reconnaissance platoon, cooks, clerks, and
other regimental headquarters and service company personnel. This jumbled force was assigned to cover an eight and a half mile front. They did a bang- up job, with the aid of loud- speakers and other deceptive means.
The hidden ball play worked like a charm. The regiment jumped off at 0800 and within three hours had captured the town of Feves. Two hours later it swept on to take Somecourt. The surge con­tinued
and Saulny, Vigneulles, Plesnois and Norroy le Beneur tumbled before the avalanche.
In the first five hours of the third day's operation the regiment had captured and occupied three Canrobert Forts. A few other forts were found to be deserted.
By this time the 378th's 3rd battalion had forced its way to the west bank of the Moselle. One platoon of Company K was crossing a bridge into Metz when Germans touched off demolition charges. Casual­ties
were heavy.
Next day the battalion crossed to the city in boats operated by Company B, 320th Engineers, and joined the 377th Infantry Regiment in ferreting out the snipers. The third arm of the main effort was powered by the 379th Infantry Regi- ment, which also had drawn a battering- ram assignment against the forts flanking the road to Metz. At the very outset of the division jump- off, the 379th ran into stiff and bitter enemy resistance. The 1st and 3rd Battalions chipped away at one of the greatest and most impregnable of all Metz forts — Jeanne d'Arc, guardian of the western approach.
2
Chipping was the word for it. The heav­iest
demolition charges produced a lot of concrete dust and not much else. With various forts in the Jeanne d'Arc system linked by tunnels, the Germans employed a fire and run defense, and the 379th found it impossible to block all the tunnels.
By November 21, however, the fall of Metz was something to write home about. The 95th Reconnaissance Troop had made contact with elements of the 5th Infantry Division, which had driven up from the south to complete the squeeze play on the fortress city.
Capture of Metz was but one of the highlights in the 95th's combat history, however.
The 95th jumped off for the Saar on November 25, 1944. The German border
was 25 miles to the east, and many in the outfit were looking forward to the day when it could write " inside Germany" on letters home. The border into Germany was crossed on November 28. By the first part of December the division was in the Saarland.
Their first major prize on Nazi soil was the exposed city of Saarlautern which lies like a goldfish bowl between the high ridges on either side of the Saar. The entire division was brought up on line and a series of lightning blows ensued. Not only was this city captured, but in a sur ¬ prise night attack the only bridge across the Saar still intact was taken. So swift and well planned was this project that not one man was lost. Though the enemy had mined the bridge well the 379th Task Force bayonetted the sentries on duty before the alarm could be sounded. This
3
feat caused Under Secretary of War Pat­terson
to write a special commendation for the " Iron Men of Metz." In continual combat for over a month, the Victory Division's valor under fire earned its men the title of " Bravest of the Brave" from Joseph Driscoll of the New York Herald Tribune.
Metz was tough, but the work now was even more rugged. This was the thickest part of the Siegfried Line. There were a myriad of pillboxes and fortified houses. Progress became measured in square blocks for the batallion objective. In Fraulautern, just over the highly valued bridge, the 377th's 1st Battalion took part in a " dance of death" when Americans and Krauts blazed away at each other over a hotel ballroom floor. Then came the
Bulge. Towards the end of December the Saar entered the holding phase with only the 95th and 94th left to keep Third Army gains. Brilliant night combat, anticipating Nazi dawn attacks, was the key to their success.
In January, after two months of suc­cessive
combat action, even greater efforts were expended by rotating regiments on line in the Saar to reinforce the American 7th Army at St. Avoid. It was an exhaust­ing
but highly successful activity.
In January the 95th was assigned to Lt. Gen. Simpson's Ninth Army. Its first task was to join with British troops fight­ing
in the flooded area below Nijmegen. This action was considered by the troops to be a rest, since the CG was able to
4
rotate his regiments on the line. In Feb­ruary
the 9- V's were sent into Belgium for a rest. It wasn't long afterwards that they were called upon to join in the smashing drive on the Rhine. The lead regiment, the 379th, drove so fast that when the Rhine was reached the inhabitants of the town of Rhinehausen were caught quite unprepared. Telephone lines were intact so that enterprising Joes attempted to phone Hitler in Berlin. Factories were in operation, and the workers were dazed to find American troops taking over. The doughs had intended to settle down here for a luxurious rest when orders came for
them to be relieved. It was not a rest; the division was sent back to the Erft Canal to practice river crossings in expec­tation
of future events.
After the Ninth Army crossed the Rhine the 95th was called upon to go into the Harz Mountains and clean out all pockets of resistance. This was done expeditiously. Shortly before the termination of hostilities the Victory Division was chosen by Gen. Simpson to occupy and police the terri­tories
that the Ninth Army had so speedily over- run. To the men of the 95th this was a welcome chance for well earned rest.
PICTURES OF THE 95th
Home Again — The 377th Infantry crossed on the SS Monticello and disem­barked
at Staten Island, New York, on June 26th. The photograph reproduced on the cover was taken as the ship was headed for the docks.
Landing at Boston — The 378th In­fantry,
Division Artillery and Head­quarters
Personnel made the crossing on the SS Mariposa ( picture on Page 3), and docked at Boston after a welcome home greeting by Port authorities.
" Lost" Battalion— Con­necticut
men of the Second Battalion, 379th Infantry
( Page 4). The photograph was taken at Ft. Devens on July 3rd. The Battalion's experience in front of Ft. Jeanne d'Arc at Metz, is described by Pfc. Henry R. Heitmann of Hartford on Page 10 of this booklet.
Time Out at Devens — The pictures on pages 8 and 9 show Connecticut men gathered in the bright July sun in one of those long waits between processing for­mations.
The upper picture shows the men of the 378th Infantry Regiment. In the lower picture are men of the 379th Infantry Regi­ment.
5
95th DIVISION FACTS
Nicknames: " Victory", and " O. K." Division.
Shoulder Patch: Oval shaped, red numeral 9 and white Roman number V; and V also standing for Victory; solid blue background.
History: Organized for World War I in September, 1918, at Camp Sherman, Ohio; demobilized in December of 1918. Activation date: July, 1942.
Army Ground Forces Training: Basic at Camp Swift, Texas, and upon com­pletion
to Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio; to Louisiana in June, 1943, for maneuvers and stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana, before shipping to California Desert Training Center; after four months, transferred to Indian town Gap, Pennsylvania, for six more months; then went into moun­tain
training in West Virginia maneuver area; later to Boston for training while awaiting embarkation.
Departure Date: Left the United States in July of 1944 for European Theater of Operations.
Overseas Training: Further training in England; first duty on the continent on " Red Ball" highway, by part of the division.
Commendations, Unit Citations:
378th Infantry Regiment given Presi­dential
Citation for action of November 10- 14, 1944; division described by Under- Secretary of War Patterson as performing with distinction in taking intact the Saarlautern bridge; unit described as " bravest of the brave" by Joe Driscoll in the New York Herald Tribune.
Commanding General: Major General H. L. Twaddle, an Ohioan, from April 25, 1942, until present.
Component Units as of Time of De­parture
Overseas: 377th, 378th and 379th Inf. Regiments; 360th medium and 358th, 359th and 920th ( L) FA Bn.
Served Overseas as Part of: Third Army, Oct. 1944; Ninth Army, approxi­mately
February of 1945.
Combat Highlights: Participated in capture of Metz; captured important communications center of Boulais; led Third Army into Saar, attacking thick­est
portion of Siegfried line, at Saar­lautern.
NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This little souvenir of the 95th Divi­sion's
redeployment furloughs was pre­pared
by the Office of the Governor of the State of Connecticut. It is believed that it will make a welcome addition to the sou­venirs
and memorabilia of the men who participated. A limited supply of copies are available for distribution on request from members of the Division from Con­necticut.
They may be secured by writing direct to the Office of the Governor, State Capitol Building, Hartford, Conn. In the preparation of this leaflet, Public Relations Officers at the Ports of Debarka­tion
and reception centers cooperated.
The account of the Division's part in the defeat of the German Army was pre­pared
by the Office of Technical Informa­tion
of the Army Ground Forces. The group pictures taken at Fort Devens are Signal Corps photographs.
6
THE 95th ON FURLOUGH
The 95th ( Victory) Infantry Division, third of the combat units enroute from the European Theater of Operations to the Pacific, arrived in the United States for redeployment furloughs in late June and early July, 1945.
Preceded by a small advance detach­ment,
the three major contingents of the Division crossed the Atlantic in the SS Mariposa, the SS Blatchford, and the Monticello.
The Mariposa docked at Boston, on June 29, with 6,213 men aboard including the 378th Infantry, the 358th, 359th, 360th, and 920th Field Artillery Bat­talions,
and headquarters and special troops of the division. The staging center at Camp Myles Standish, near Taunton, Massachusetts, was the next stop, and the New England men of the Division arrived at Fort Devens, on the following day.
The Blatchford docked at Boston Sun­day
morning, July 1, with 3,236 men in­cluding
the 379th Infantry Regiment, and was staged at Myles Standish before the
238 New Englanders proceeded to Devens.
The Monticello docked at Staten Island, N. Y., on June 26 with the 377th In­fantry.
The regiment entrained in Jersey for the staging center at Camp Kilmer, near New Brunswick, N. J.
The Mariposa and Blatchford were given the Boston Port welcome, with a flag bedecked tug going down the harbor to meet them.
High spots were the home coming meal, steak, ice cream and fresh milk, and the first opportunities to phone the folks at home. Then the long and occasionally tedious waiting and processing — medi­cals,
new clothes, orientation, pay rolls, and finally two to three days after de­barking,
furlough orders, and the last long miles from Devens to home.
At the conclusion of the furlough periods the division will be reassembled at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for retraining and eventual embarkation from a west coast port for the Pacific Theater of Operations.
95th DIVISION STORIES
It has been the experience of veterans of all wars that time brings a blurring of detail, that memories are less exact after events, and that first hand reporting serves best to get down in black and white just what happened.
Here are stories by the men of the Vic­tory
Division, told at Fort Devens, either for newspaper use or for this leaflet.
Jordan, Frank A., Pfc, Hdq. Co., 2nd Bn., 379th Infantry, New Haven. Scout in Intelligence Section. " I was green when we moved up through the lines in front of Fort Jeanne d'Arc, one of the defense points that ringed Metz. It was a murky night and you couldn't see a thing. By the time we got into a concrete bunker that had been captured
7
8
9
with heavy casualties, I got to singing ' My Buddy'. It didn't go very well with the men in the bunker, many of whose buddies had been killed or wounded dur­ing
the attack. It was the week in the line before the attack on the fort's bunkers that I will remember longest of those we spent at the front in Europe."
Zuraw, Walter J., Pfc, Co. L, 379th Infantry, Seymour.
" One thing I'll never forget is when the Germans blew up the Adolph Hitler bridge at Verdingen, across the Rhine. We'd been in there for four days and nights with no sleep. I was on guard that night. They had pinned us down near the bridge, which was about fifty yards ahead of our position, and stuff from German bazookas was coming over regularly. All at once there was a terrific explosion and the bridge crumpled up and dropped into the river. Was I relieved, that we didn't have to try crossing it. The Ger­mans
had the high ground and would have mowed us down if we had tried.
" I joined the outfit on Thanksgiving Day before Saarlautern, where we at­tacked
into the Siegfried Line concrete bunkers. The Germans had camouflaged the bunkers, which were made of concrete 12 feet thick by building the shells of houses over them. Going in there was a lot of stuff from snipers and some of the first shots got one of my best friends."
Schlitter, Earl H., Pfc, Co. C, New Haven. A Gunner in a mortar crew. " We've been across about a year, but if you want to know my hardest day in the army, it was Jan. 18, 1943, my first day in the army, right here at Devens."
Auckland, Arthur R., Pfc, Co. C, 379th Infantry, Plainville. " The hottest spot I was in was near
Saarlautern. We were taking 13 German prisoners back across an open field. Every­thing
was quiet and then all hell broke loose, with mortar shells falling thick and fast all around us. I jumped into a fox hole, and it was a good spot even if there was three feet of water in it. The prisoners flopped on the road, but none of them made a break. When it slowed up a little I took off in the lead and we all got across the open space safely."
Jones, David J., Hdq. Co., 379th In­fantry,
Shelton.
" I can't remember anything that was too tough to take, but there was many a night I would rather have stayed in the blankets. Especially up around Frau ¬ lautern, across the river from Saar­lautern,
where the Germans had the high ground and gave us the works, screaming meemies and everything."
Heitmann, Henry R., Pfc, Rifleman, Co. F, 379th Infantry, Hartford. " The most miserable six days I ever spent were stranded with what was left — about 150 out of 800 men — of the 2nd Battalion in front of Fort Jeanne d'Arc at Metz. We were cut off from our supply lines. What we got to eat was parachuted from the planes. One bar of chocolate for every two men and to last a whole day. We made coffee out of melted snow. There were many wounded with us and some dead. The thing that was really hard was that we couldn't send out our wounded."
Miller, William H., Pvt., Co. B, 379th
Infantry, Bridgeport.
" It was in that attack, up across the tracks toward the bunkers at Saarlautern where they got most of us. We moved up across a wide open space swept by ma­chine
gun and small arms fire. I reached the place about twenty feet from the
10
Germans when I got hit with a machine gun slug in the thigh. It knocked me flat and I lay there more than 32 hours in the cold rain. Our support couldn't get up and we were isolated, but the first- aid men took care of it and I didn't seem to feel any pain after the first shock. I did a lot of praying lying there watching the Heinies twenty feet away.
" There were seven of us hit and we lay there cut off from our lines. That night the Germans picked up four of them and I never heard of them again. The next night under the cover of darkness our stretcher bearers got to me and I went back by stretcher, jeep and ambulance for a four months stay in the hospital."
Ek, Edward H., Sgt., Co. A, 379th In­fantry,
Branford.
" When I was transferred after three years in the army to the 95th, I joined them in April just after the Battle of the Ruhr Pocket so about all I saw with this outfit was guard duty."
Tolla, Angelo M., Pfc, Bazookaman, Co. A, 379th Infantry, Stamford. " The closest fighting I did was in clean­ing
out the Town of Krefeld in the Ruhr. We got into the edge of the town after the artillery worked over it and called in some tanks to help us out. We worked from house to house through cellars and back yards keeping away from the streets which the Germans had covered. When we struck a blank wall and couldn't get through, we would get back and give it a couple of shots from the bazooka. That would open up a hole in any wall for us.
" In three hours we took 150 prisoners but it would have taken much longer if the Germans had not been pretty well softened up by that time."
Klick, Stanley J., Pfc; Jeep Driver,
Hdq. Co., 1st Battalion, 379th In­fantry,
Jewett City.
" One of our toughest spots was when we were taking a 57mm tank gun up with a weasel. The trucks couldn't make it. They had us zeroed in with mortars and 88 mms and shells were landing all around. It took us at least fifteen minutes to cross this river on a bridge and the bridge was knocked out right afterwards."
Mantlec, Andrew J., Pfc, Jeep Driver, Hdq. Co., 1st Battalion, 379th In­fantry,
South Norwalk. " I went out on a line with our communi­cations
Sergeant after it had been cut by enemy artillery fire. We were on the hill without any cover when the 88' s started dropping around us and we just had to keep on working with the shrapnel whizzing."
Farnham, Woodrow, Pfc, Rifleman, Co.
E, 379th Infantry, Rockville.
" The one thing I want to forget is the first five minutes in battle just outside of Fellsberg, in the Saar Basin. You can lay it on the line, we got hit with every 88 mm in the Saarlautern area and every one of them was right on the button and we had quite a few casualties there. Nothing in all the rest was as bad as that first five minutes.
Haeschak, Edward N., Pfc, Rifleman, Co. C, 379th Infantry, Bridgeport. " I want to forget all about Europe but I do remember one time in the Battle of the Ruhr Pocket when our own planes by mistake strafed us and we had several men wounded in our own unit."
Horoat, John J., Sgt., Message Center Chief, Hdq. Co., 2nd Battalion, 379th Infantry, Fairfield.
" It was tense in our message center in
11
that first real battle in front of Metz. Like most everyone I was scared and I remem­ber
well how shocked I was when early re­ports
came in telling of the first casualties in our outfit."
Wiegman, Paul W., Pfc, Co. C, 379th
Infantry, Springdale.
" The time that sticks in my mind is the crossing of the Saar River which we made under heavy enemy fire. We went across in assault boats and there were 12 or 15 men in each boat all paddling like hell. There sure was a lot of 88 mm in the air. When I hit the other side, when I dug in for the night, I thanked God for getting us across."
Falasca, Frank D,, Pfc, First Aid Man, Medical Detachment, 1st Battalion, 379th Infantry, South Norwalk. " They gave me the Bronze Star for ad­ministering
first aid under fire on an attack on a fortified mill at Saarlautern. I car­ried
out a wounded man, victim of a booby trap, on my shoulders, through the open for about fifty yards with plenty of mortar and small arms fire around."
Kosturko, Lawrence G., Pfc, Rifleman, Co. C, 379th Infantry, Bridgeport. " I was surprised how quickly you could
reach the front and get the sniper fire.
That first day I was running across a road
and one of our men was killed only fifty
feet away from me. My knees were knock­ing
plenty."
Ladyko, Walter E., Pfc, Co. G, 379th
Infantry, Bridgeport.
" In March at Oberkasser, on the Rhine, we were on outpost duty about fifty yards from the River when German planes came over and strafed us. I dove for a shell- hole and found a sergeant ahead of me. You just keep praying and sweat it out."
Slonski, William B., Pfc, Co. F, 379th
Infantry, Wallingford.
" It was on Friday, the 13th of April we were riding over a hill on some tanks towards Kremberg when we spotted a handful of Krauts awaiting to surrender in front of a farm. After taking them in we prowled around and found a battery of 88' s, a battery of 20 mm ack- ack and nine more Germans walked out of the woods to surrender. One of them who spoke good English told us that the German gun crews were in a railroad tunnel through a hill nearby. They made a stand there and we got 60 prisoners more. Then we gave the farm another going over and found hundreds of rifles and hand grenades, dozens of machine guns, a hundred bazookas, and enough TNT to blow up almost anything. It was Friday, the 13th, for the Germans all right but we got 126 prisoners without firing a shot.
THE CONNECTICUT MEN
The following named officers and men of the 95th ( Victory) Infantry Division went on redeployment furloughs from the Fort Devens, Massachusetts Reception Center in the last week of June, 1945. These names are taken from ships' rosters and furlough orders:
ADAMS, HAROLD S. Pfc. RFD 1, Hampton
ADAMS, WILLIAM H. Pfc. 650 Newhall St., Hamden
ADLEY, RICHARD J. T/ 5 194 Overland Ave., Bridgeport
12
ALBYCHT, JOSEPH Pfc. Arch St., Collinsville
ANDERSON, WESLEY R. Pvt. South St., Bantam
ARCAND, WALTER A. Pfc. 80 Wellington St., Hartford
ASH, NORMAN JR. Pfc. 600 Woodbridge St., Manchester
AUKLAND, ARTHUR R. JR. Pfc. 70 Bohemia St., Plainville
AVERY, IRVING E. Pfc. 9 Purnell PL, Manchester
BADGER, CARLTON M. Pfc. 235 Maple Ave., Greenwich
BANAS, MICHAEL J. Pfc. 4 Union St., Hartford
BARTOS, FRANCIS H. Pvt. 33 Worthington Ridge, Berlin
BAYLEY, THOMAS A. Pfc. 423 Main St., Portland
BEAUREGARD, LIONEL J. Pfc. 29 So. Walnut St., Wauregan
BENFANTI, JOSEPH F. T/ 4 218 Washington Ave., Bridgeport
BLASCHIKE, ALBERT J. Pfc. 33 Wall St., Middletown
BODNAR, JOSEPH L. T/ 5 27 Neptune Ave., South Norwalk
BOLIEAU, FRED R. Pfc. 100 Willington Ave., Stafford Springs
BOOKER, LORA A. Pfc. Winnicut Rd., North Hampton
BRAHENEY, THOMAS J. Pfc. 66 Foster St., Meriden
BUNN, DONALD I. Pvt. Mineroad, Bristol
BURNS, JOHN J. Pfc. 2405 Main St., Bridgeport
BUSCH, FRANK J. Pfc. Box 179, Versailles
BUTKUS, ALBERT F. Pfc. Millville Dist., Naugatuck
CALLAHAN, JOHN F. Cpl. 50 Hinckley Ave., Stamford
CARPENTER, ALFRED H. T/ 5 25 Washington St., Vernon
CARPENTIER, OLIVIER A. Pfc. 260 Main St., Waterbury
CASPER, ROBERT J. Pfc. 13 Hathkiss St., Naugatuck
CAVIOLA, JOHN P. Pfc. 139 Ely Ave., South Norwalk
CAZZETTA, VINCENT C. Pfc. 101 Hatch St., New Britain
CHALECKI, BERNARD W. Pfc. 50 Church St., Plantsville
CHISNALL, DAVID L. Pfc. 1125 Forest Rd., New Haven
CIRISHIOLI, GEORGIO 1st Lt. 112 Liberty St., Ansonia
CLARK, THEODORE S. Pfc. 44 Ives Ave., Meriden
COFFIN, ROBERT W. Pfc. 132 Flax Hill Rd., South Norwalk
COHEN, PHILIP Pfc. 170 Fairfield Ave., Stamford
CORCORAN, EDMUND J. Pfc. 18 Stillwold Rd., Wethersfield
CRANZ, FERDINAND E. T/ Sgt. 19 Nameaug Ave., New London
CROCAMO, JOSEPH C. Pfc. 6 Summit St., Derby
DAVIS, RALPH Pfc. Nashville Rd. Ext., Bethel
DEBLOIS, ALEXANDER J. Pfc. 15 Mill St., Willimantic
DE KAY, ECKFORD J. T/ 5 Hoyt St., Darien
DE LUCIA, RAYMOND H. Capt. 75 Osborn Ave., New Haven
DE MARS, CARL F. T/ 4 17 Margery St, Bristol
DESCHENE, HENRY J. Sgt. 98 Summit St., Willimantic
DESOCIO, MICHAEL Pvt. 66 Tracy Ave.., Waterbury
DINIGLIO, LOUIS Pfc. 127 Lexington Ave., South Norwalk
DONAHUE, JAMES P. Sgt. 29 Maple Ave., Waterbury
13
DUNN, RICHARD E. Pfc. 325 So. Pine Creek Rd., Fairfield
DUNNE, DOMINICK J. Pvt. 1820 Albany Ave., West Hartford
EK, ARTHUR H. Sgt. 42 Hopson Ave., Branford
ESPOSITO, VINCENT A. Sgt. 215 Peck Ave., West Haven
EVANS, RONALD H. T/ 5 East Granby
FALASCO, FRANK D. Pfc. Sound View Ave., South Norwalk
FARNHAM, WOODROW Pfc. Mile Hill Rd., Rockville
FARRELL, EUGENE F, Pfc. 47 Seavier Ave., West Haven
FAVA, COLESTINO D. Pfc. 3018 Dixwell Ave., Hamden
FAZZINA, PAUL E. T/ 5 Wanx Spring St., Plantsville
FENN, RICHARD H. Pfc. 104 Cottage St., Meriden
FERGUSON, FRANK J. JR. Pfc. 105 West St., Danbury
FERLA, SALVATORE Pfc. 46 No. Spring, Ansonia
FEUERBACKER, FRED J. Pfc. 103 Prince St., Bridgeport
FISHER, HENRY JR. Lt. Col. 404 Yale Ave., New Haven
FITTIG, WALTER Pfc. 265 Old Town Rd., Bridgeport
FORNITO, LOUIS J. Pfc. 57 America St., Waterbury
FOWLER, EUGENE S. Pfc. RFD 2, North Stonington
FOWLER, WILLIAM H. Pfc. RFD 3, Maple Knoll Farms, Ellington
GAGNON, WILBERT R. Pfc. 1930 Broad St., Hartford
GARVEY, JOSEPH P. S/ Sgt. 381 Broad St., New London
GLEY, HAROLD R. Pfc. 33 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic
GORI, JOSEPH Pfc. 196 Jones Ave., Bridgeport
GREGA, METHOD P. T/ 4 137 Light St., Stratford
GRONAU, HEINZ O. S/ Sgt. 2397 East Main St., Bridgeport
GUERRERA, ROCCO Pfc. 15 Ennery St., Waterbury
GUGLIOTTI, LOUIS Pfc. 89 Byinside Ave., Waterbury
HALL, LESLIE L. Pfc. Sterling
HANSON, NORMAN P. Pfc. 36 Coe Ave., Portland
HARRINGTON, FRANCIS P. Pfc. 11 Hemlock St., Waterbury
HARVEY, NORMAN E. Pfc. 316 Hills St., East Hartford
HAYDEN, FRANCIS J. Pfc. 20 Union St., Thompsonville
HEFFERN, HAROLD J. Pfc. 86 Caroline St., Bridgeport
HEITMAN, HENRY R. Pfc. 127 Adelaide St., Hartford
HEWES, PETER B. T/ 5 High St., Farmington
HORVAT, JOHN J. Sgt. 70 Redfield Rd., Fairfield
HRESCHAK, EDWARD M. Pfc. 1989 E. Main St., Bridgeport
HUNTER, KENNETH S/ Sgt. Middletown
HUNZIKER, ROBERT N. Pfc. 39 Stiles St., Stratford
HYDE, ALFRED F. Pfc. 121 Grandview Ter., Hartford
JEROME, ROBERT E., JR. Pvt. 1922 Main St., Hartford
JOHNSON, BYRON T. 1st Lt. 9 Wooster Heights, Danbury
JOHNSON, ERIC G. T/ 5 RFD 3, Weston Rd., Georgetown
JOHNSON, RICHARD R. T/ 5 37 Colonial St., Hartford
JONES, DAVID W. Pfc. 74 Hill St., Shelton
JORDAN, FRANK Pfc. 121 Maple St., New Haven
14
JORDAN, JOHN F. Pfc. 389 High Ridge Dr., Bridgeport
KALKOWSKI, EDWARD O. Pfc. 184 Eddy Glover Blvd., New Britain
KATKAVECK, GEORGE J. Pfc. 74 Starkweather St., Manchester
KILBRIDE, SIDNEY V. 1st Lt. 13 Thomas Ave., Norwalk
KING, ARTHUR A. Pfc. 14 Elm St., Seymour
KLICK, STANLEY J. Pfc. Russell St., Jewett City
KLIMASZEWSKI, JOHN Pfc. 3 George St., Ansonia
KOSTURKO, LAWRENCE G. Pfc. 116 Brandley St., Bridgeport
KOZCAK, GEORGE D. Capt. 8 Farnham Ave., Torrington
KRISTON, JOHN Pfc. 49 Columbia Court, Bridgeport
KULICK, PAUL G. Pfc. 146 Pine St., East Port Chester
KUZMA, STANLEY J. Pfc. 13 Division St., Ansonia
LABORE, ANTHONY C. Pfc. Bldg. 43, Apt. 312, Y. M. Village,
Bridgeport
LADYKO, WALTER E. Pfc. 433 Kossuth St., Bridgeport
LAPORTE, GEORGE A. Pfc. 300 Brown St., Hartford
LAWLOR, THOMAS J., JR. Pfc. New Preston
LEE, NICKOLAS Pfc. 61 Myrtle Ave., Bridgeport
LESNIAK, LEO J. Cpl. 27 High St., Willimantic
LITKE, WALTER A. Pfc. Box 23, Danielson
LIVINGSTON, CHARLES Y. Pfc. 106 Groves St., Meriden
LOCKER, EDWARD T. Pfc. 8 Kennedy Ave., Killingly
LOGAN, DONALD T. Pfc. 60 Tomlinson Ave., Plainville
MAC DONALD, THOMAS JR. Sgt. 49 Laurel St., Hartford
MAGERA, STEPHEN Pfc. 64 Longfellow Ave., Bridgeport
MANTLIK, ANDREW J. Pfc. Auburn St., So. Norwalk
MC DONOUGH, THOMAS G. Pfc. 36 Foster St., Danbury
MERRILL, CLIFFORD T. JR. Pfc. 17 Highland Ave., Thompsonville
MIKOLAJCZYK, EDW. J. T/ 4 Mountain Rd., Suffield
MILLER, HERMAN L. Pvt. 105 French St., Bridgeport
MILLER, WILLIAM H. Pvt. 2066 Main St., Bridgeport
MONTAGNA, JOHN C. Pfc. 3 Brown St., New Haven
MOORE, ADOLPH Pfc. 225 Greenfield St., Hartford
MORAN, LAWRENCE J. Cpl. 46 Lincoln St., Putnam
MULDOON, JOHN C. * Pfc. 799 Lipton St., Stamford
NISTO, ANTONIO F. Pfc. 50 Daisy St., New Haven
NUNN, DUFFEY L. Pvt. 34 Seaview Ave., West Haven
OBUCHOWSKI, ALPHONSE 1st Lt. 70 Wells St., Manchester
O'DONNELL, WILLIAM Pvt. 19 Beach Ave., Milford
OTTO, WILBUR W. Pfc. 7 Spruce St., Rockville
PAGERINO, FRANK J. Pfc. 2164 Main St., Bridgeport
PAGLIARO, FRANK A. Pfc. 82 Oak St., Bridgeport
PARKER, CLIFFORD W. Pfc. Sterling
PASCARELLA, ALFONSO J. Cpl. 1995 Main St., Bridgeport
PASSERINO, RAYMOND M. Pfc. 119 Williams St., Wallingford
PATRIDGE, CHARLES J. JR. Pfc. Plain Hill, RFD 8, Norwich Town
15
PEARSON, CRAIG M. Pfc. 78 East Ridge Rd., Middletown
PEDENSKI, FELIX J. Pfc. 240 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton
PINCHIN, GEORGE H. Pfc. 118 Oxford PL, Southport
POPYLISEN, EDWARD F. Sgt. 263 Quinnipiac Ave., New Haven
PUDNEY, WILLIAM F. Pfc. 646 Stafford Ave., Bristol
QUINN, JOHN J. Pfc. 18 Meadow St., Stamford
QURNACK, JOHN T/ 5 RFD 1, Willimantic
RAPPORT, MARTIN B. Sgt. 375 Sigourney St., Hartford
RENN, ERVIN G. Sgt. 110 Front St., Middletown
RIEDER, ROBERT W. Pfc. 49 Riverside Dr., Manchester
ROMANO, JOSEPH Pfc. 193 North Ave., Bridgeport
RYAN, WM. J. Pfc. 7 King St., Hartford
SALVATORE, ANTHONY J. Pfc. 53 Greenwich Ave., Stamford
SAMARAJCZYK, FELIX Q. Pfc. 148 Burroughs St., Bridgeport
SANFORD, FREDERICK F. T/ 5 Box 323, Macktown Road., Windsor
SCHLEIN, ROBERT R. Pfc. 14 Sheldon Terrace, New Haven
SCHLITTER, EARL H. Pfc. 410 Grand Ave., New Haven
SHERMAN, EDWARD M. Pfc. 1737 Noble Ave., Bridgeport
SLONSKI, WM. B. Pfc 27 Geneva Ave., Wallingford
SONNTAG, WILLIAM W. Pfc. Huckleberry Rd., New Canaan
STANTON, PAUL R. Pfc. 57 Fremont St., Putnam
STARK, EVERETT L. 1st Lt. RFD 1, Putnam
SUSCO, ANTHONY J. Sgt. 42 Crown St., Bristol
SZABO, ALEX Pfc. 579 Oldfield Rd., Fairfield
TAFT, ROBERT E. Pfc. 187 Zion St., Hartford
THORNTON, FRED A., JR. T/ 5 Abington
TOLLA, ANGELO M. Pfc. 36 Greenwood Hill, Stamford
TOMALA, JOHN J. Pfc. 17 Center St., Torrington
TOOMEY, JOHN F. Pfc. 262 Palm St., Hartford
VALENTE, JOSEPH N. Pfc. 112 Preston St., Hartford
VALL, OSWALD P. Pfc. 54 Stone St., Stamford
VAVREK, ANDREW W. Pfc. Kellen Ave., South Norwalk
VELASCO, LOUIS Cpl. 6 Kelley Ave., Wetherfield
VINCENT, ROGER E. Pfc. 9 Broad St., Stonington
WARD, GEORGE A. Pfc. 130 Chapman St., Willimantic
WARNER, GEORGE A. Pfc. 262 Market St., Hartford
WASIELEWSKI, ZIGMUND W. Pfc. 247 Washington St., New Britain
WAUPOTIC, VALENTINE L. Pfc. 68 Beaver St., Danbury
WELLS, FREDERICK J. Pfc. 48 Wordin Ave., Bridgeport
WIEGMAN, PAUL W. JR. Pfc. 174 Knickerbocker Ave., Springdale
WILSON, JACK R. Pfc. Central Fire Hdqtrs., Greenwich
WOOD, ROLAND A. Pfc. 23 Yellow Row, Willimantic
YUROKOWSKI, STANLEY J. Pfc. 11 Main St., Glasgow
ZALEWSKY, JOSEPH W. Pfc. 35 Division St., Stamford
ZIEROTH, ALFRED P. Pfc. Durham Center
ZMISTOWSKI, MATCHIE J. 1st Lt. Bartram Inn, Sharon
ZURAW, WALTER J. Pfc. 14 Broad St., Seymour